Our Story
CLINIC HISTORY – FROM 1985 to Today
The Chinese Acupuncture and Herbology Clinic (CAC) was established in 1985 by Mary Cissy Majebe, Oriental Medical Doctor, in Asheville, NC. The clinic began on Merrimon Avenue in a small office with one treatment room, a closet that became the herbal dispensary and another storage room with a treatment table pushed against the wall. The reception area consisted of a chair in the hallway.
Within the first year, the practice grew to the point that a larger office was needed. The CAC rented 342 Merrimon Avenue. The clinic was downstairs with three treatment rooms, and Cissy lived with her daughter upstairs. There was a large entranceway where Cissy’s daughter Genia practiced piano after school, which provided the first instrumental ambiance for the treatment sessions. In 1987 Junie Norfleet was hired as the CAC’s first business manager.
The CAC attracted so many patients that another practitioner was needed in 1987. In the coming years, additional practitioners joined the clinic as the demand for service grew. The presence of multiple practitioners created a new asset to the clinic, the ability to work collaboratively within the clinic on extraordinary cases.
In 1989, Maintlann Thoms, a local philanthropist whose family was closely allied with
Thoms Hospital, helped Dr. Majebe to purchase property in the Historic District of Montford, Asheville. This site provided the needed space for the clinic’s growth.
In 1990, the CAC was “ privileged” to be the recipient of an “investigative raid “ by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The NC-SBI demanded that all of the patients leave the clinic and proceeded to remove all patient records (1700) and all diplomas and licenses from the clinic. This was the beginning of a long struggle between the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, the State of North Carolina and Dr. Majebe. This struggle ended with the North Carolina Legislature creating the North Carolina Acupuncture Licensing Board (NCALB). The NCALB was assigned the task of developing the rules and regulations governing the practice of Acupuncture in North Carolina. Dr. Majebe was appointed to the NCALB and was instrumental in writing the laws that govern the practice of acupuncture in North Carolina. In 1993, the NCALB began issuing licenses and Dr. Majebe chose the number 3 as her license number.
During the decade following the NC-SBI investigation the Chinese Acupuncture Clinic continued to expand and serve the community with medicine that is both a complement and/or an alternative to standard western medicine. The demand for the clinic’s services was so strong that two satellite clinics were also created. The first was in Hendersonville, NC in 1997 and the second in Waynesville, NC in 2000.
In 1998 Dr. Majebe began to study with Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th generation priest from the Jade Purity tradition of Daoism. This enriched the practice of Chinese medicine at the clinic to a level of health care that more deeply acknowledges the connections between one’s physical, emotional and spiritual health.
In 2000, Dr. Majebe formed Daoist Healing Arts to help spread Jeffery Yuen’s knowledge of Classical Chinese Medicine. They began to offer continued education for acupuncturists around the country. They also created DVD’s illustrating self-care practices that can be used at home to assist in healing.
In August of 2003 Daoist Traditions, College of Chinese Medical Arts was born. This acupuncture college grew out of the dedication and commitment of Junie Norfleet, Rachel Nowakowski, and Cissy Majebe. Currently, each of the acupuncturists at the clinic is also a faculty member or administrator at Daoist Traditions, a school that is dedicated to the revival of Classical Chinese Medicine teachings. This evolution has created a staff of practitioners who are dedicated, not only to their own practice, but also to the educational training of acupuncturists entering the profession.
Practitioners at the CAC are joined together in a family centered practice that works with patients ranging from infants to senior citizens. After over three decades, the Chinese Acupuncture Clinic has grown to a group of 8 dedicated professionals, making it the largest Chinese medicine group practice in the Southeastern United States. Together they provide more than 14,000 therapy sessions each year, and have assisted thousands of people on their journey to health and healing.
